Originally Posted by LookLeft
The prop hubs were the subject of speculation by John Eacott who went up there after the snow melted. He stated on PPRuNe that in his opinion the blades were feathered but the blades had actually separated from the hub so he was basing his opinion on tainted evidence.
I have searched for the original thread on the crash, but can't find it to confirm what I actually posted
However, within reason, I'm sure that I made the following points:
I was there at the time of the crash (
before the blizzard arrived at Hotham), and visited the site shortly after, with snow still deep on the ground. I also went on the 26th July 2005 when the snow started to melt, revealing stuff that was missed during the investigation. After the ski season, I lifted one engine from the site by helicopter, for further investigation.
My photos of the wreck (which were posted previously, taken on the 26th July) show the props and engines.
All the props are/were still attached to the hubs: none broke off. One engine has the props bent from the root, whilst the other has two virtually undamaged props and one slightly bent.
I'm overseas at the moment, but I'll check further when I get home.